Pittsfield Seeks Public Input for Draft CDBG Annual Action Plan

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City of Pittsfield's Department of Community Development has released the draft Annual Action Plan outlining how federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds will be used to address housing and community development needs in Pittsfield for the HUD Program Year 2026.
 
The Community Development Office, in conjunction with the City Council's subcommittee on Community and Economic Development, will hold a public hearing on May 5 at 6:00 p.m. on the proposed CDBG program budget and draft 2026 Annual Action Plan. The public hearing will be held at City Hall, 70 Allen Street, in the Council Chambers.
 
The hearing is part of a 30-day public review process that is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that provides an opportunity for public input on the draft plan. Through what HUD terms an entitlement grant, HUD provides the city with CDBG funding on an annual basis. The 30-day public review and comment period runs from Wednesday, April 22, 2026 until 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 22, 2026.
 
The draft 2026 Annual Action Plan proposed budget of $2.1 million consists of $1.2 million in estimated new CDBG funds and $400,000 in expected program income and reprogrammed funds as well as an estimated $500,000 in available revolving loan funds.
 
The Department of Community Development has proposed using CDBG money during the upcoming 2026 fiscal year for projects that include public facilities, removal of architectural barriers, public services, housing rehabilitation, economic development, clearance, planning activities, and administrative costs.
 
Beginning April 21, 2026, copies of the draft 2026 Annual Action Plan are available for public
review in the Community Development office, and on the city's website: www.pittsfieldma.gov/235/Community-Development-Block-Grant.
 
Written comments can be submitted to Community Development at any time during the 30-day comment period via email at njoyner@pittsfieldma.gov or by mail to the Department of Community Development, 70 Allen St., Room 205, Pittsfield, MA, 01201. People with special needs should contact Community Development at (413) 499-9368 or TTY 413-499-9340 prior to the public hearing and every effort will be made to accommodate their requests.
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Show-Cause Hearing for Pittsfield Bar Continued Again

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Bei Tempi will have a show-cause hearing for its liquor license in May after police brought forward pictures that appear to show underage patrons drinking.  

On Monday, the Licensing Board continued a hearing for Zuke's Soups and Variety LLC, doing business as Bei Tempi, to May 18. This is the second month it was continued. In the last year, the bar has been accused of underage service by two different parents.  

Earlier this year, Police Capt. Matthew Hill received a call from an upset parent about her 19-year-old daughter patronizing Iztac Mexican Restaurant at night and being served. 

Those photos resulted in a two-week liquor license suspension for Iztac, and the same mother submitted an almost identical complaint about Bei Tempi with photos, one of them with the owner "clearly visible" in the background, Hill said. 

The owners, Richard and Elizabeth Zucco, did not show up in March, and the hearing was continued again this month. 

"This show-cause hearing was scheduled for March 23 of 2026 and the licensee did not appear at that hearing, although I understand that notice went out by way of email," Chair Thomas Campoli reported after the bar's second no-show, adding that the Zuccos' lawyer communicated they had a "planned prepaid trip" that conflicted with the meeting. 

Last year, a different mother approached the Licensing Board asking for accountability after her underage child was allegedly served at Bei Tempi. After drinking at a graduation party, she said her 18-year-old son became further intoxicated at the establishment before returning home late and becoming combative, resulting in an arrest by police. 

In March, the pictures of alleged underage drinking at Iztac were printed and presented to the Licensing Board with faces blurred; the reporting party wished to remain anonymous along with her daughter and friend, and she was unable to attend the hearing. 

Hill ran the patrons' names through police records to confirm they were not 21. This is the same underage daughter who is said to have drunk at Bei Tempi, and her mother has provided photos. 

The Health Department ordered Iztac to close on March 13 after finding "pests" in the establishment.  On Monday, a notice stating that it was closed to the public to protect public health and safety was no longer on the door but the Health Department confirmed that the closure was still in effect. 

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